Batteries have been mounted in a variety of locations and in a variety of enclosures on tractors. The rearrangements and relocations of tractor battery mounts have been frequent and have been made for many different reasons.
There are usually a number of considerations in mind when determining where and how to mount vehicle batteries. Among these are: minimizing the extent of component crowding under the engine hood; allowing sufficient cooling such that the battery does not overheat; keeping the battery out of the way of the operator during tractor use; covering the battery adequately during normal use to protect it from the elements; and providing ready accessibility to the battery for easy checking and servicing. The fact that some of these considerations are conflicting only adds to the problems of tractor design.
Examples of prior battery enclosure systems and mounting arrangements include those disclosed in the following United States patents:
3,821,997 (Sieren) PA1 4,013,136 (Fear) PA1 3,930,552 (Kunkle et al.) PA1 3,989,118 (Hansen) PA1 4,074,786 (Joubert) PA1 3,003,573 (Lorenz) PA1 2,802,540 (Brookbank) PA1 1,091,583 (MacGlashan) PA1 2,607,433 (Simi) PA1 1,678,033 (Brumbaugh) PA1 2,158,784 (Dean)
While many of these battery enclosures and mounting arrangements have certain advantages, certain problems are present as well and there is a strong need for improvement over the prior systems.
Vehicle batteries mounted under the hood are frequently quite difficult to reach for checking of fluid levels and other servicing. Batteries mounted on various vehicle floors, such as the floor of the vehicle cab or an extension thereof, are also sometimes in the way of the operator during normal tractor use, rather inconveniently accessible for service, and/or difficult to maneuver from an enclosure into a position for service.
In many cases, vehicle structural surfaces block easy access to a battery from positions normally assumed during vehicle servicing. More specifically, in some cases, while the battery may be moved or exposed to an open position, the tractor operator or service person cannot conveniently observe fluid levels or provide service from a standing position adjacent to the vehicle. Instead, bending or climbing becomes necessary.
In some cases, while a battery enclosure may completely shield a battery from the elements, such enclosure may itself cause difficulty in making the battery easily accessible for the necessary service. While an enclosure may hold a battery, it may be rather difficult to remove the battery from the enclosure sufficiently for checking and servicing. In other cases, efforts to provide devices with good enclosure and a high degree of accessibility have resulted in battery enclosure systems which are too complex and expensive in construction.
In short, there remains a need for substantial improvement in battery enclosure systems for tractors.